<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Damned if I Do by thatstarlitsky</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25976914">Damned if I Do</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatstarlitsky/pseuds/thatstarlitsky'>thatstarlitsky</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>ATEEZ (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Biting, Blood, Haunted Houses, I googled korean baseball teams for this, M/M, Vampires, an absolute fuckton of swearing in this, losing a bet, losing a bet has never been this good, seongjoong is mentioned, somebody wash their mouths out with soap</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 10:54:07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,718</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25976914</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatstarlitsky/pseuds/thatstarlitsky</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Jongho loses a bet, and the consequences are...well, debatably distressing. Break into the house of the so called local ‘vampire’ and come out with a souvenir. Theft, sure, if Jongho believed the vine-encased house was lived in. But what he finds instead is nothing short of surprising.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Choi Jongho/Jeong Yunho</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>225</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Damned if I Do</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Wait, so you're telling me this writer actually wrote something shippy that isn't nsfw? Someone check hell; I think it's frozen.</p>
<p>Also, please check out the fanart that inspired this one; it's by <a href="https://twitter.com/nunssavm/status/1295297450501054464">@nunssavm on Twitter.</a> And it's an absolutely gorgeous piece. Please give it all of the love it deserves.</p>
<p>Now then, please enjoy~</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It had been two days, and Jongho was still in denial.</p>
<p>And yet, every time the news came on to report the devastating loss of the Lotte Giants to the LG Twins, he was reminded of everything that had gone horrifyingly wrong in the last forty-eight hours.</p>
<p>Of course, Jongho had been <em>certain</em> of the fact that the Giants – who, for the record, had the best season in a decade with an all-star player whose batting average was a solid .378 – would win the league. And yet, in the finals, the Twins had pulled the win with a grand slam in the final inning. As his friends screamed their utter joy, Jongho melted onto the floor with the stray pieces of fallen popcorn and wondered just how much more soju he would have to drink to make the night vanish like dust in the wind.</p>
<p>But even when he collapsed into bed without actually remembering he’d done so, he still woke up to the reality. Through a brutal headache, he downed a cup of coffee and the hangover medicine San had bought in preparation for the big game. Wooyoung, though his tired smile betrayed just how truly smashed he’d gotten when the Twins had snatched the victory, didn’t fail to bring it up before Jongho had even so much as taken a second to breathe.</p>
<p>“So,” Wooyoung said, his cheek propped on his fist. “You lost.”</p>
<p>Jongho groaned and tried no to slam his coffee cup onto the table in irritation. It would just be a waste of coffee and a good mug. But he needed Wooyoung to shut the ever loving fuck up until he was properly awake to remember that yes, he had in fact, lost last night.</p>
<p>“Give him time,” Yeosang said, his normally glossy blonde hair dishevelled from the pillow. Yet, he was still grinning in that same, sickening manner that told Jongho he was <em>absolutely</em> in for it as soon as he was properly awake. “He’s still in mourning. Let’s decide what he’s going to do because he lost.”</p>
<p>Normally it would be something gross, like taking a shot of vodka flavoured with gochujang, or a glass of milk laced with miso. But with the league on the line this time, Jongho <em>knew</em> it would be something much bigger than a shitty taste on his tongue. He thought about vacating and putting off the consequences of the loss by hiding out at Hongjoong and Seonghwa’s house until he was ready to deal with it. But invading and interrupting their breakfast – which, apparently, was considered their daily one-on-one time – didn’t sound like a good idea to do in what they would consider a non-emergency.</p>
<p>And so, Jongho watched as his traitorous friends – San, Mingi, Yeosang and Wooyoung – bent over the kitchen table to start whispering. Jongho tried to block them out as best as he could, downing coffee after coffee until he felt reasonably sane enough to shower. As if to rub salt into the wound, they didn’t tell Jongho what they’d eventually decided on. They only promised him that it would be a piece of cake for him, and that they would drive him to the location tomorrow night before letting him take his punishment.</p>
<p>And so, Jongho was seated in the middle seat at the back of Mingi’s dinky little beater because as Wooyoung had put it “we aren’t taking a chance that you won’t bail out at the first stoplight”. Jongho rolled his eyes and let his head fall back against the seat as Mingi drove them further and further away from the city proper. He was starting to get undeniably nervous now, but he didn’t dare say it out loud. His friends could be mean but they weren’t <em>dangerously</em> mean. Not as far as he knew, at least.</p>
<p>And yet, when Mingi turned up a gravel driveway with a ‘private property’ sign, Jongho seriously began considering finding new friends. He wondered if he couldn’t rent out Seonghwa’s couch until he found a new place to live. Or maybe he could just move to another city and be done with everyone for good.</p>
<p>That was when he saw the old house. In the flicker of Mingi’s headlights, it looked positively decrepit. When the lights turned off, it looked entirely unsafe. Vines encrusted the old brick walls, and every window was boarded with plywood and loose bits of garbage bags to keep out the drafts. The roof looked patchy, and Jongho was willing to bet that the house was so beaten down with mold and termites that if it wasn’t for the vines, the house would’ve collapsed onto itself.</p>
<p><em>No more bets</em>, Jongho told himself. <em>A bet was what got you here in the first place.</em></p>
<p>“So,” Yeosang said, turning around from where he sat in the front passenger seat. “You know what this place is, right?”</p>
<p>Jongho had no idea. When he shook his head, Wooyoung let out a snicker, and San ‘ooo’ed in delight.</p>
<p>“It’s the Vampire House,” Yeosang’s grin widened. “People say that when you go in, you never come out. The master of the house drinks every drop of your blood, and then hides your body so nobody can ever find you.”</p>
<p>“Are you going to quit your bullshit, or are you going to just tell me what you want me to do?” Jongho demanded. Now that he knew it was a so called ‘haunted house’, he was feeling a hell of a lot less nervous about the entire thing. He’d probably find a bunch of nonsensical bullshit placed around the house – like one of those fake, rubber hands with the equally fake plastic bone bought for two-thousand won at the local Daiso. Maybe a fake spider dangling from the ceiling at exactly head height. He wouldn’t put it past one of his friends to follow him inside after a few minutes just to make his night a living hell.</p>
<p>Yeosang huffed and rolled his eyes. “Go inside, and bring something out. But like <em>actually</em> look around. Don’t just pick something out of the entry way. Go in for at least ten minutes.”</p>
<p>“What if there’s nothing in there?” Jongho asked, raising an eyebrow.</p>
<p>“Then take a video or something,” Yeosang shrugged, then gestured for Wooyoung to get out of his seat so Jongho could leave. “We’ll be waiting, so go have fun!”</p>
<p>“Right, okay,” Jongho sighed, then crawled out of the car.</p>
<p>“Have a nice <em>bite</em>,” Wooyoung joked with a snicker.</p>
<p>Jongho shoved him back into the car and slammed the door closed. He heard Wooyoung’s shrieking laughter through Mingi’s open window. His tallest friend gave him a half-hearted wave. He was the only one who looked nervous. Then again, Mingi was afraid of everything.</p>
<p>“Let’s get this over with,” Jongho sighed, then pulled out his cellphone. He turned the flashlight on, and put the brightness low enough that it would provide enough light without killing his battery. He didn’t know when he should start taking video, but he settled for later. If he couldn’t find anything in the house, he’d shoot an expletive filled vlog just for his friends. Besides, he already intended to pick up every useless prop he found – that should be enough.</p>
<p>The porch creaked softly beneath his feet, but the wood was solid beneath the weeds peeking up between the boards. Strange, he thought, but didn’t question it. He looked back to where Mingi’s car sat in wait. He could see a few flashlights flickering inside the car. He sighed and turned towards the door. He found it unlocked.</p>
<p>What a shocker.</p>
<p>The entryway was odd, yet strangely appropriate. The scent of something strong permeated the air. But it wasn’t mildew like he expected. It was...sage? Jongho tilted his head and shrugged. Maybe the old owners of the house had an herb pot that was miraculously still alive. Beneath his feet, a bright red carpet heavily stained with dust and dirt sat like a pop of colour in a dark room. To his left, a worn staircase leading upwards. A few cobwebs fluttered in the corners, untouched by time. To his right, was a door with a handful of glass panes. The rest had been broken and covered up with faded photographs, newspaper clippings, and what looked like illustrations from children’s storybooks.</p>
<p>For a staged house, it looked disturbingly tidy. The dirt on the carpet could’ve been from standard use. The cobwebs, just left because the person living within these walls was comfortable with the presence of spiders. Jongho shook it off, then lifted his phone to illuminate the dark hallway ahead of him. He walked past old paintings, some of them damaged in a way that looked as though they’d been pulled from a dumpster. Yet, the tattered canvases looked strangely nice with the smudges – as though being treated like garbage had made them more beautiful than before.</p>
<p>Ahead of him, a closed door sat ominously, and the scent of sage grew stronger. Jongho swallowed, and reached for the handle. It was shiny from use. Somehow, Jongho should’ve realized in that moment that the so-called ‘Vampire House’ wasn’t a ruin. Yet, he still twisted the handle and nudged the door open.</p>
<p>The scent of sage washed over him, and he blinked at the sight of warm candlelight. On an antique dark velvet chair sat a man whose eyes widened in surprise behind long, pale bangs. Apparently, his hair had been dyed some time ago, because black roots had grown half an inch from his scalp. He was dressed in a red blazer that looked brighter in contrast to the black velvet seat he was occupying. His black slacks led down to a pair of mismatched socks with dogs and cats.</p>
<p>“I was not under the impression that I had a visitor,” the man said, and slowly set aside a cloth-bound book with pages so yellow, it looked as though the binding was on the verge of coming apart. That was when Jongho realized the sitting room was <em>full</em> of books. Floor to ceiling shelves of books with little labels taped on with sticky notes displaying the year of publication. If Jongho dared look closer, he was willing to be he’d find them alphabetized too.</p>
<p>“Come inside; I will prepare you a cup of tea,” the man said, then rose to his feet. “My name is Yunho – please make yourself comfortable.”</p>
<p>“Um...I’m...Jongho,” he responded, more in a courteous habit than an actual desire to introduce himself.</p>
<p>Against his best interests, he let himself into the room. The door gently clicked shut behind him. He fumbled with his phone long enough to turn the flashlight off. In the candlelight off the room, the beauty of the old furniture came to life. Unlike the front hallway, this room was well looked after. There wasn’t a cobweb in sight, and every dark-wood surface was so clean, he knew it would pass the white glove test. The massive Persian rug beneath the antique furniture was a shade of brilliant red with woven threads of green and blue. His eyes traced the intricate patterns until they snapped away in response to the soft click of a natural gas camp stove lighting, and the sound of a kettle being set to boil.</p>
<p>“Um...I don’t think I’ll be...um...<em>staying</em>.” Jongho somehow managed to get out. “I...didn’t actually know someone lived here.”</p>
<p>Yunho turned around and smiled. It was an oddly strained smile with his lips deliberately pressed together. It made Jongho vaguely uncomfortable, but the upturn of his eyebrows looked soft enough that he knew it was a genuine one.</p>
<p>“Then tell me why you have come, Jongho...?”</p>
<p>“I lost a bet, and coming in and taking something as proof is my friend’s idea of a funny joke,” Jongho said with a shrug.</p>
<p>Yunho hummed and turned to observe the kettle as it began to hiss. For a few, tense seconds, the kettle was the only sound in the room.</p>
<p>“Would you like an herbal infusion?” Yunho asked. “Or is black tea preferable...?”</p>
<p>“Um...herbal,” Jongho said without thinking. Then, he realized that he was now obligated to stay a little longer.</p>
<p>That was when he realized what an absolute idiot he was. He let out a laugh, and pressed a hand to his forehead.</p>
<p>“Oh,” he said through his grin. “I get it. You’re an actor, right? I should’ve known – they’ve been planning this since yesterday. Of <em>course</em> they would’ve had time to set this entire thing up.”</p>
<p>“I...beg your pardon...?” Yunho turned around with a raised eyebrow. He held a reusable tea infuser in one hand, and a spoon in the other.</p>
<p>“You know Wooyoung, right? You’re probably and old friend of his from his drama classes,” Jongho went on. “Jeez – and here I thought for a second that that stupid rumour was true.”</p>
<p>The kettle began to whistle, but Yunho stood still in confusion. He blinked a few times, then tilted his head in silence. Then, he turned his attention onto the kettle and flicked off the camp stove. The smell of chamomile and rosehip filled the room alongside the sage.</p>
<p>Yunho walked over with a chipped mug filled with the steeping tea. Jongho looked down at it, then back up at the man, who was still watching him with that curious expression.</p>
<p>“I...am not entirely sure I follow,” he said. “I am not an actor. I live here. This is my home. Who is Wooyoung?”</p>
<p>Jongho wanted to laugh. Truly, he did. But apparently, this actor was good. <em>Really</em> good. Most haunted house actors he had met in the past tended to break character when someone called them out on their bullshit. But apparently, not this one.</p>
<p>Yunho guided him onto one of the plush velvet seats. Jongho sat down and blew the steam off the top of the mug. He looked up as Yunho sat down across from him and crossed his legs neatly. His hands folded in his lap, and he continued to watch Jongho as though he were a fascinating puzzle he intended to solve. In the candlelight, his eyes looked oddly crimson. Jongho couldn’t help but stare. It was kind of beautiful – like fire opals.</p>
<p>“So,” Jongho began, deciding to play along. “Wooyoung’s an old friend of mine. He took a lot of theater classes. He enjoys acting, you know? I think he wants to do musicals, or plays or something. Anyway,” Jongho took a slow sip of the scalding tea and found it quite soothing. He smiled down at it for a moment and looked back up at Yunho. “This is really good tea.”</p>
<p>Yunho smiled that same, closed lipped smile. “Thank you,” he said. “I grew the herbs myself. I enjoy the fragrance, even if I can’t enjoy the taste as much.”</p>
<p>It was Jongho’s turn to tilt his head in confusion. Then, he took another sip and went on. “So, awhile ago, some bets were made. We do this every year at the start of the baseball league. But my team actually made it to the finals, and everyone else’s team lost in the quarter or semi-final or didn’t make it into the postgame. Everyone decided to bet <em>against</em> me for the final, and then the Giants lost, so...” Jongho grimaced. “My punishment was to come in here and bring something out to prove I did it. Because my friends like watching me suffer.”</p>
<p>“I do not know the rules of baseball,” Yunho said slowly, tapping his thumbs together. “But I am sorry for your loss. Might I ask why your friends chose this place to send you...?”</p>
<p>“They think it’s a vampire house,” Jongho said, and Yunho’s eyebrows vanished into his pale bangs. “I know, right? Which is how I know you’re an actor. Obviously, they staged this entire thing to spook me. It’s their idea of humour, you know?”</p>
<p>“I am...unsure of how to tell you this...” Yunho said slowly, leaning back in his seat. “But I am not an actor.”</p>
<p>Jongho couldn’t help but laugh. “So, you’re trying to tell me you’re an <em>actual</em> vampire who lives in this <em>actual</em> house?”</p>
<p>Yunho blinked once.</p>
<p>“Yes,” he said. “I am.”</p>
<p>Jongho could only stare at such a deadpanned, easy answer. But the moment he registered exactly what Yunho was implying, he laughed. He laughed so hard, he had to set the cup of tea down on the table in front of him so he wouldn’t spill it over the Persian carpet.</p>
<p>But Yunho wasn’t laughing, which is what slowly pulled Jongho out of his mirth. His expression looked tired, yet also vaguely amused.</p>
<p>“You’re serious?” Jongho asked, feeling a strange, numb tingle in his spine. He suddenly became aware of his own heartbeat.</p>
<p>“I am,” Yunho replied. “<em>I</em> spread that rumour in hopes that people would leave me to myself. But it appears as though it has stopped nobody. People still break into my house every other weekend, especially throughout the summer. It is quite tiring, as you might expect.”</p>
<p>“In my defense, your door was unlocked.”</p>
<p>“The lock was smashed off last week,” Yunho explained.</p>
<p>“Oh,” Jongho swallowed thickly. “I’m sorry.”</p>
<p>“Do not be,” Yunho shook his head. “The truth is, you could not have known. It is easier, you see, to make sure my house looks as dilapidated as possible in the hopes that people will think it unsafe to enter. I only wish for solitude. Yet, brave people like you seem to find their way inside anyway.”</p>
<p>Jongho felt the beginnings of shame start to creep into him. He stared down at the cup of tea he now felt as though he was given as a courtesy rather than a welcoming gesture. This man – who claimed he was a vampire – had more manners than his four best friends combined. Maybe even better manners than Seonghwa, and that was saying something.</p>
<p>“I...should be on my way, then,” Jongho said, fidgeting with the hem of his sweat shirt.</p>
<p>“Oh, please feel free to finish your tea first,” Yunho said, gesturing to the mug. “Then, I will allow you to take one of my books as proof, as long as you leave it on the porch before you leave my property.” The sentence was casual, yet Yunho’s eyes grew more intense than before. Jongho started to wonder if his eyes actually <em>were</em> the same shade of blood red as his blazer. His heart began to beat faster. Yunho’s lips abruptly parted. Jongho didn’t want to think it was in response to the sound of his mortality. Yet, he didn’t miss the way his eyes flickered downwards. Was his gaze on his chest, or was it on his throat? Jongho felt the beginnings of something comfortably uncomfortable. It spiked his adrenaline further.</p>
<p>“Or...” Yunho said slowly, not taking his eyes from where they were focused. “I could give you <em>real</em> proof that you have come here.”</p>
<p>Jongho swallowed thickly. “What do you have in mind...?”</p>
<p>Yunho’s eyes rose again. Yes, Jongho confirmed. They were <em>definitely</em> red.</p>
<p>“Let me bite you,” Yunho said. “And your friends won’t ever be able to dispute that you have been here.”</p>
<p><em>“People say that when you go in, you never come out,”</em> Yeosang’s words echoed. Jongho had said they were bullshit before, but now he was starting to think that he’d been foolish to think otherwise. It figures, really, that the day he discovered that vampires are real was within the same forty-eight hours of his team’s most disappointing loss in nearly a decade.</p>
<p>“You’re not going to drink all of my blood and hide my body, are you?” Jongho asked, his voice hoarse.</p>
<p>It was Yunho’s turn to laugh. Jongho figured out why he’d only ever smiled with his lips closed. His fangs were long and obvious. They jutted down far enough that he wondered how he never cut his own lip with them.</p>
<p>“That was something I hoped would keep people away,” Yunho said, grinning. His fangs gleamed wickedly in the candlelight. Jongho couldn’t take his eyes off them. “But it didn’t work. So perhaps I will allow you to be the first in a long time to discover what a blatant lie that is. I am no killer, Jongho. I merely want my privacy.”</p>
<p>“I’m sorry for invading it,” Jongho responded.</p>
<p>“It is quite alright, Jongho. I have enjoyed your company.”</p>
<p>Jongho’s cheeks flamed hot. “Then, how do you want this?”</p>
<p>“You accept my offer?” Yunho’s eyebrows rose again.</p>
<p>“I figure it would be a good way to scare the shit out of my friends, actually,” Jongho said, his lips curling into a wry smirk. “I’ll run screaming from your house and tell them you attacked me. You can chase me a bit, too. I promise, I’ll make it look <em>really</em> good.”</p>
<p>Yunho’s wild grin widened. “I am...fond of this idea.”</p>
<p>“Okay, so...what do I do?” Jongho asked.</p>
<p>“Finish your tea, first,” Yunho said. “Otherwise, it will just go to waste.”</p>
<p>“Can’t have that,” Jongho said, then picked the mug back up. It was still hot, but it was cool enough to drink down in a few, easy gulps. It left such a soothing taste on his tongue, that he began to wonder if some sort of witchcraft had been used to make it. Too late now, really. He set the empty mug down and stood up.</p>
<p>“Okay,” Jongho said, and his heart flopped in his chest. “I’m ready.”</p>
<p>Yunho smiled and stood up. Jongho felt his knees tense up as he fought the urge to bail on this idea. But Jongho was still irritated with his friends and craved retaliation for his humiliation. And Yunho was probably one of the nicest people he’d ever met. This would kill two birds with one stone. He would scare his friends, and a new vicious vampire rumour would start surrounding Jongho, the one who got away, and Yunho might actually be left alone. Win-win, really.</p>
<p>Yunho reached down to take Jongho’s hand. For a moment, he frowned, then looked up at Yunho. He was taller than he was by almost a full head. Jongho’s heart pounded once more. This time, he saw the vampire’s pupils dilate in response. A pink tongue swept out to lick his lips. Jongho swallowed.</p>
<p>“If it hurts, I want you to squeeze my hand,” Yunho said, and ran his thumb gently over the back of Jongho’s hand. “Do not be afraid – I promise I will be as gentle as I can be.”</p>
<p>Jongho wasn’t sure what part of Yunho’s words soothed him enough that he began to relax. Maybe it was the tea. Maybe it was the soft touch of Yunho’s fingers. Maybe it was the incredibly gentle way his other hand moved to the small of his back and pulled him closer. Without thought, Jongho wrapped his free arm around Yunho’s back. The backs of his shoulders were broad, and his chest was solid. Despite what he had agreed to, Jongho felt safe. He rested his cheek on Yunho’s shoulder and closed his eyes. The scent of sage became an afterthought. Yunho’s skin smelled sweet and heady.</p>
<p>Cool lips pressed softly against his neck. Jongho’s fingers curled around Yunho’s hand as he anticipated what was to come. The kiss that followed was gentle, and Jongho didn’t dare say <em>loving</em> but it made him feel precious.</p>
<p>“Relax,” Yunho murmured against his skin. “Take a breath.”</p>
<p>Jongho did as he was told and inhaled slowly. Yunho’s scent filled his every sense, and his thoughts turned away from the thought of fangs piercing his neck, and to just how nice Yunho’s lips felt against his neck. He’d always been sensitive there, he just never—</p>
<p>Jongho’s breath caught. He made an odd sound – like a moan, but strangled with a gasp and whimper. The pain was sharp and intense, and Jongho instinctively gripped Yunho’s hand as the one clutching the small of his back pressed him tight against Yunho’s chest. The pressure of Yunho’s fangs lessened just enough to reduce the initial sting, but the throb of the wound left Jongho shaking.</p>
<p>And yet, as Yunho’s tongue lapped at the wound, and his fangs sunk once more into the holes he’d already made to draw just a little more blood, Jongho found himself relaxing. Yunho’s thumb painted tender circles on his fingers, and the hand on the small of his back loosened its intense grip. Jongho gasped, and tears prickled at the corners of his eyes. The delicate sensation of Yunho’s tongue and lips, coupled with the sharp pressure of fangs was a vivid contrast that left Jongho’s knees weak. Heat burned softly in his chest. Some part of him realized that he was actually <em>enjoying</em> this, and that same part of him whispered for it to never stop.</p>
<p>Yunho’s fangs pressed into the wounds once more, and Jongho actually moaned this time. The sound was muffled in the fabric of Yunho’s blazer, but it sounded no less obvious. The soft lapping of Yunho’s tongue gave way to soft kisses, and then more delicate licks until Jongho’s body was slumped heavily against Yunho’s chest. He braced himself for another bite, but Yunho gently squeezed his hand instead.</p>
<p>“That is enough,” Yunho murmured, then kissed the aching spot on his neck.</p>
<p>Jongho made another odd sound – this one strangely protesting. Yunho laughed, then threaded his fingers into the hair on the back of Jongho’s head. He toyed with the strands for a moment before lightly kissing Jongho just behind his ear.</p>
<p>“Come now, you have to go back to your friends,” Yunho said.</p>
<p>Jongho pulled away. Yunho’s eyes were gleaming, and trickles of blood lingered on his chin. He didn’t know what possessed him in that moment, but Jongho found himself standing on his toes to lick Yunho’s chin. The bitter tang of blood touched his tongue, and Jongho shivered. Yunho gripped his hand and swiftly snatched a kiss from his lips – a kiss that left Jongho shaking and wiping the side of his mouth with the back of his wrist when it was over.</p>
<p>“Sorry, I...I just...I don’t know what came over me,” Jongho mumbled.</p>
<p>“No apologies,” Yunho said. “But, I must tell you that you are welcome anytime. I will make you more tea.”</p>
<p>Jongho looked up at him. Though he couldn’t bring himself to smile, he already knew he would be back. The pain in his neck had faded to a pleasant throb, and he genuinely found himself wanting Yunho to bite him again – somewhere else, this time.</p>
<p>As though sensing his thoughts, Yunho grinned wickedly and flashed his bloodstained fangs.</p>
<p>“Start running, little one.”</p>
<p>And Jongho did. He turned on his heel and bolted back through the study door. A moment later, he heard the clatter as Yunho started after him. He laughed and yanked open the front door as quickly as he could and leapt off the front porch. At the last second, he though to clutch the aching spot on the side of his neck and hoped what remained of the blood there would put up a convincing show.</p>
<p>“Start the car!” Jongho yelled, and then he heard the crash of the front door slamming open. “<em>He’s coming,</em> start the car!”</p>
<p>Mingi’s car sputtered to life. On instinct, Jongho merely threw himself through Wooyoung’s open window. Mingi was driving before they’d even pulled his legs inside.</p>
<p>“Holy shit, what—” San froze as his flashlight abruptly illuminated the blood on the side of Jongho’s neck.</p>
<p>“He—He bit me—I only just got away...oh my <em>god</em>—”</p>
<p>“Shit—”</p>
<p>“You mean that shit was <em>real?</em>”</p>
<p>“Does he need the hospital?”</p>
<p>“It’s not bleeding so bad,” San was saying, though his voice was shaking. “I think he just needs a bandage...oh <em>man</em>...I’m so sorry, Jongho, we really thought it was just a bunch of bullshit.”</p>
<p><em>It is. Yunho’s really nice,</em> Jongho thought as he feigned terror and curled into a ball in the back seat. Yet, as his friends argued over what they’d just witnessed, Jongho smiled. It wasn’t likely anyone would go to Yunho’s house anytime soon. But...Jongho thought he just might see him again sooner rather than later.</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>